Simplifying Towing: The Easiest Way to Use an Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- In this video I show you what I consider to be the easiest way to use an Andersen weight distribution hitch. I found videos on how to install them but not on how to use them which is why I made this video. I also share a few tips I learned from my time spent using one as well as my overall impression of it (Spoiler: I love it!).
For more information or to purchase the Andersen weight distribution hitch: amzn.to/3f4rB10
Interesting. I just had my WDH Anderson installed last week and thought this was a way - thanks for confirming. Seems quicker.
Thanks for the tip....I guess I've never found it hard to loosen until I can disconnect and then hand tighten and then tighten 4 full rotations with a wrench but will keep this in mind if I ever forget my wrench! Would not have thought of this!
The triangle plate can also be straightened by using steel rod for leverage in the bottom pin hole
Such a great hitch. I don’t think it gets the credit it really deserves; effective bounce and sway control with great weight distribution all at half the weight of a commonly used hitch like the Equalizer 4 (120lb hitch). It’s going to be my next hitch when we upgrade our trailer and tow vehicle!
This is how I connect and disconnect and it works great. Funny you mention bending your plate. My plate was under the round "foot" on the jack once as I raised it, and bent that instead. Every time I see the front lip of the foot bent up it reminds me to pay attention to the plate for clearance :)
Excellent tip, I’ve been doing it the hard way for years.
My next hookup, and Un hook.... I’m trying it your way !
Thank you 😊
Got my andersen weight distribution hitch setup today very proud how it performed in gusty wind.when I got everything setup there were a 1/2 to 3/4 difference in the measurement I took before I put any weight on the truck
I really liked this system. I didn't have any issues in gusty weather either and I was in some extreme winds.
Great video Chris, thanks for the tips.
We have a Lance 1985 on order. I just recieved my Andersen WDH and I've been watching youtube videos to make certain I do the install properly.
I 100% agree with you EXCEPT when you can't back up perfectly straight and then it helps to loosen the chains a bit to get the plate back on.
Thank you. This is the video I was hoping to find.
This video answered questions we had about the Andersen WD...thanks.
I didn't want to purchase this set up because it seems like more of a pain in the ass than the other ones. I rent my RV so it seems like a hassle to be putting nuts and bolts in both sides every time. I was looking on FB marketplace and came across this hitch for $300 used. I'm going to purchase it now because of this video. This is an awesome work around and this is how it should've been advertised.
The end point you make to back up your TV exactly in line with your camper the way you have it when you took off the plate is the only way this will work to get the tension even again. Whats your method to get the plate out of the way from dragging when you need to realign by pulling your TV forward to get the plate straight to get your tension even?
I introduced this hitch to the mechanics at La Mesa RV in Sacramento. Don't tell me they introduced it to you :)
I am a 60+ gal and RV solo. I love my travel trailer but the bars on my sway control system are too darn heavy for my trick back. Do you think this system would work better for me? My travel trailer is 25’ long. I’m worried that I might have to invest in a class c. Thank you for any guidance you can offer!
The way you do it makes sense. I don't understand why your chains would be at a different tension?
I've noticed the same with mine. I think, it has to do with the bottom plate gripping onto the shaft on the hitch. too much friction? But it does happen when the truck is not straight in line with the trailer. At either time of hook up or unhook up, but I haven't seen any mention that it should be lubed or greased so I haven't done that either.
If you are parked at an angle, even a slight one, one chain will be tighter.
Only 1 thing i notice is that your plate is hooked up behind your safety chains. I believe that the safety chains go under the plate.
Almost bought this hitch to replace my Husky Centerline TS, but the more I see of it, it doesn’t appear any quicker to hook/unhook than what I’ve got. That, plus those bushings look like they would wear relatively quickly. I do like the lighter weight, but that’s not enough to sway me at this point. Good video though. Thanks for the info.
Great info , thank you . Enough of the bars for me .
Great info, thanks!
Glad you found it helpful.
I bought a ROCKWOOD GeoPro last spring....sooo excited about owning a trailer!!! However......the WDH it came with is waaay to heavy for me to handle. (I'm a 60-something woman who wants to camp solo.) Sadly I need help hooking the trailer up with the current hitch and bars so I have to ask my adult son to help before I leave home and then not disconnect the trailer while camping. This is not acceptable 😑! Maybe this WDH is the solution? What do you think?
Absolutely! There is nothing difficult about this WDH when using the technique I show. There is just the one cotter pin to remove and then you pull out the large pin holding the plate on. It's far easier than the bar style WDH you are using. You can also lubricate the pin with whatever you use on your slideout to make it even easier.
I had a husky centerline ts that got damaged in a wreck so I ordered a new andersen hitch cause I think it would be better for me.i have a bad disc in my lower back and the husky centerline ts was getting to much for me to put own and off I hope this hitch will be better for me
I've heard similar things from others with limited mobility. None of them have ever responded saying it was worse for them so I assume it is an improvement. I don't see how if you use this technique it wouldn't be easier than bar type weight distribution hitches.
Like it, but by lifting that much weight over time would you end up bending or jamming the locking mechanism inside whatever the tongue receiver is called?
I've done it for years without any issues.
One thing I never could get clarity on is the 4 rotations…is it recommended to do 4 rotations when the hitch is 2-3 inches with it lifting the car with the tongue jack, or 4 rotations when the weight is just about to settle on the car ball hitch? It’s almost impossible for me to do 4 rotations with it level with the ball hitch, but very easy when I have it lifted like you have in the video. I’m afraid if I do 4 rotations when it’s lifted, it’s more like 6-8 and don’t want to damage the frame
I don't know the exact number of rotations. I just adjusted mine so that my trailer was level and from there I just lift it up and unhook it.
I don't get the 4 rotations thing either. I just installed my Andersen yesterday and I had to tighten the chain so much that the supplied socket didn't even fit over the bolt any more. I had to use a big crescent wrench to finish it off and get it tight. Hmmmmm
Thanks, great video. I also have an Andersen WDH and I have to raise the truck and trailer connected 8" to remove the slack in the chains so I can remove the whale tail. Am I going to do any damage to the coupler or my truck raising it that high? There is always a lot of creaking and popping going on when I do this !
I've been doing this for 3 years now and I haven't damaged anything as far as I am aware of. My personal opinion is that I don't think you are harming anything. How high you will need to lift it will depend on how tight your chains are. Also if you are parked at an angle one chain will be tighter and you'll have to lift farther until that one loosens.
Thank you Chris.
i have the same system!
Has anybody found that this weight distribution hitch stretches the cup at the beginning of the trailer and bends it into more like an ellipse so that it has trouble accepting the ball of The hitch
I haven't heard anything about this before.
Why didn't you just hammer the triangle plate straight when you bent it instead of paying $80. for a new one?
Thank you for the video. I am going to get this wdh for my Lance 2075. Is your hitch model 3350 with 4” drop or rise and 3-6” trailer frame? Thank you.
That sounds right but I'm not positive. I got mine from the Lance dealership and they just gave me the one I needed and I don't have any of the paperwork anymore.
@@showandtelltechnology thank you for your quick reply. May ask you the height of the trailer tongue from ground when leveled plus the size of the frame of trailer? The frame size or thickness should be 3, 4, or 6” for the Andersen brackets to clamp on. Thank you again.
@@markc7889 I don't store my trailer at my home so I can't check this for you. I don't have any plans to see it for the winter.
I had a 2019 Tundra 1794 and a Lance 2465.
Total Rig 13970 lbs
Trailer only 6468
Truck only 6600
Tongue Wt 902
The payload is 1185 lbs. As you can see a max trailer weight of 9100lbs means nothing, as a tongue weight of 902 from payload of 1185 leaves nothing for people and supplies in the truck. I tried towing, but it wasn’t very good.
I switched to a 2022 F350 with a 3700 lbs payload and max trailer of 15000 lbs.
So, everything well within capacity.
However, I could not get the trailer to stop swaying. Anything more than 60 mph, bad sway. Going downhill even worse.
I tried everything with the Andersen hitch, adjusted height, chain tensions, reload weight, etc. It just would not stop swaying at more than 60 mph or downhills greater than 50 mph.
I switched to a trunion bar hitch (Weighsafe) and have zero sway.
Im extremely disappointed in Andersen hitch and would ver recommend it in a trailer more than 2000-3000 lbs.
if you were to do it all over again would you buy the Anderson weight distribution hitch or would you go with something else?
I definitely would do the Andersen again. I've recommended it to all my friends. I really like it.
Why is one side always tighter than the other when raising the tongue?
If your trailer is perfectly straight to your vehicle the chains have the same tension.
Great video Chris. I'm picking up our new Lance 2075 in a couple of weeks and am getting this exact hitch. I really like the light weight design and the on/off as you've described was a huge selling point! In reference to the last part of your video about having to get the truck aligned just right...have you found this to be a hassle or not such a big deal?
I don't think it's a big deal at all. It's only happened to me a couple times and if you just drive your vehicle into position with the trailer attached it's way faster than unhooking it and starting over. I really like this hitch and I think you will too. Happy travels in your new trailer!
I thought there was danger of pulling the ball free from the riser mount. I saw that warning in one of the previous Andersen videos I watched.
I'm not sure. Someone posted already that there was an earlier version which slid out of the hitch so you couldn't do this. I haven't had any issues doing this with mine though.
@@showandtelltechnologyThanks. Now I'll have to go look at mine and see which one I have. It is still in the box and not installed yet (bought the trailer over the winter).
There should be a snap clip on the ball shank below the carrier.
Thanks for the video, I am torn between the Andersen and the Equilizer E4..I would really like the Andersen to be able to work for me. I see a number of people comment the Andersen works well for lighter TT but the heavier you go the worse the sway control and weight distribution you will get. My TT is 5700Lbs and 740 tongue weight. Do you know approximately what your Lance weighs and the tongue weight,..any scenarios where sway has been an issue for you?...thanks.
My trailer and tongue weight are identical to yours. From my experience the weight distribution and sway control have been just fine but I don't have anything else to compare it to.
Hi Shawn , what’ was your final hitch decision and why?
Thank you
How does this offer any weight distribution? With chains you could only gain sway control.
actually chains not for sway control, sway control build in the hitch ball 😊
A great WD hitch...for anti-sway..not so much...went back to the equalizer 4 point..sway problems are history..
I use those kinds of bushings on other things and they wear out faster if they are under constant pressure for long periods of time. So even though that is a fast way to take on and off. Some tension should be removed from the bushings when not in use. That's probably why the instructions are the way they were written. The difference in performance over time, in my opinion, would change rather slowly if the tension on bushings is never released.
You do realize that when he raises the rear of the vehicle and takes the triangle plate off there is 0 pressure on those bushings you speak of. I believe the instructions are written that way because it is not advised to use your tongue jack to lift the rear of a vehicle like he does in the video. Tongue jacks are for lifting trailer tongues only.
Probably right about the directions... But I've done it for years without any issues with the tongue jack. I don't know how much weight it puts on the tongue jack but it never seemed to struggle.
what model Lance is yours
I have a 2019 2185.
@@showandtelltechnology I'm wondering if I need to add one with a 2020 Expedition and a 1475. Thinking maybe not, just let electronics handle it. It already sits level.
@@sandersonford1 if yours sits level and you don't have any issues with swaying I wouldn't worry about it. The weight of the trailer absolutely destroyed the suspension on my SUV so I had to do something about it.
Great info Chris. I was directed here from the "Andersen No Sway Weight Distribution Hitch Install (2019)" video.
In that video (the initial install), Ryan lowers the trailer onto the ball, but I'm confused as to if her lowers the entire weight on the ball, or just enough to engage the coupler? How did you do yours?
If you haven't connected the plate yet I would only lower it on enough to attach the coupler and then lift the back of your vehicle in order to get the plate on. Then you can lower it all the way back down.
That’s the hoakiest designed hitch I have seen.
Pretty sure Henry Ford heard the same comments when he introduced the "horseless carriage" LoL
@@larryh5759
Maybe, but it still doesn’t make this hitch a good hitch!
Actually if you look at the design, especially the friction ball shaft, it is brilliant.
Most feedback is excellent.
I do believe that there may be more comprehensive WDH units out there. But in my case weight distribution is not as important as sway and bounce.
My opinion on performance of this hitch will have to edit until I have an opportunity to use it.
Might want to check your spelling ;)
Thank you!
And you needed to point that out.....because?
@@harryduncan6699 For multiple reasons. One to help A fellow out to ensure he gets the right viewers. If it’s the right way, it should be spelled the right way. Originally he spelled Andersen Incorrectly.
@@harryduncan6699 I had a typo he pointed out that I've since fixed.